Travel, Memoir & Biography

A series of three books exploring our family's holidays:-

1. Bucccaneer and Advantura covers holidays to France, from our motorhome holiday in 1983, my school trip in 1984, and the holidays in the new Advantura motorhome in 1986 and 1987

2. Childhood of Dreams covers all motorhome holidays from the hired vans in 1978 and 1979 up to my 16th birthday in Andorra in 1986. Using Dad's logbooks as a guide, numerous photographs have been identified and placed with the right holiday.

3. And Not In A Van covers holidays from 1975 to 1989, that were not in the motohome. These include my grandparents' villa in Spain, the Pembrokeshire farm holiday, 2 school trips of mine, visits to relatives, and the Spain timeshare holidays of 1987 and 1989

Travel, Memoir & Biography

In August 1978, we hired our first motorhome and went to Cornwall. A year later, in June 1979 we hired our second motorhome and went to Northumberland. In early 1980, we purchased what would become known colloquially as "the white van", a Bedford Buccaneer motorhome with a lift-up roof.

Early holidays continued to be around the United Kingdom, including an epic trip to Scotland in the Summer of 1981. In April 1983 we went one better, and crossed the Channel to drive from Normandy to Paris, and back. This holiday was recorded by way of alternating reports as homework my Mum and Dad set me and my sister.

A year later, with my secondary school I was back in Paris, and whilst this coach and hotel holiday does not ideally fit into this narrative, it was important in my personal experience of France.

In late 1985 we bought a second motorhome, a Bedford Advantura, a high-roofed one for me and my sister's growing bodies, and in the long Summer of 1986 we journeyed to France and Andorra. In this holiday, Dad had his dictaphone and would create an article from his spoken notes upon our return. My diaries of this holiday form a second record of events.

In the Summer of 1987 we again went to France, this time down the Western, Biscay coast. Dad's logbook and my partial diaries form this record.

Buccaneer and Advantura is now available to buy in paperback:-

Travel, Memoir & Biography

In 1978 and 1979 we hired a motorhome and visited Northumberland the first year and Cornwall the second. The success of these holidays encouraged my parents to buy a motorhome for early 1980, a Bedford Buccaneer with a lift-up roof. Our first outings were days out, which I recorded in a homework diary, and in April 1980 we went on our first holiday, to South Wales, soon followed by ones to Derbyshire, Spalding Flower Parade, and to North Wales.

We had become a motorhome family and during the next 5 years the Buccaneer did us well, with epic holidays to Scotland in 1981, Paris in 1983, and North Wales in the Summer of 1985, mixed in with frequent shorter ones.

In the Autumn of 1985 we bought a larger motorhome, a Bedford Advantura, more suited to my and my sister's growing teenage bodies, and during early 1986 had days out, and short holidays, the latter including to Ironbridge, Chertsey and Freston, near to Ipswich. In July and August 1986 we went on an epic 3-week holiday to France and Andorra during which I had my 16th birthday.

These eight years form the story of this book, from being a child of 7 going on 8, to having my 16th birthday. We were four on the road - Dad, who worked for Thomas Cook, Mum, who was a teacher on supply or on short-term placements, me, born in 1970, and my sister Beth born in 1972. At home we had a fifth, the family cat Tandy, born 1978, and whilst she never went on any holidays with us, we always said goodbye to her and she was always there to welcome us back home.

Childhood of Dreams is now available to buy in paperback:-

Travel, Memoir & Biography

And Not In A Van chronicles holidays from the mid 1970s to the late 1980s that were not taken in a motorhome, whether hired or owned. We start in Spain in 1976 and 1977 at my paternal grandparents' villa above Fuengirola, and we end in 1987 and 1989 at timeshare holidays in Spain, between Fuengirola and Marbella. Between these two bookends, we visit both sets of grandparents in England, both as a family and later myself and my sister on our own, we go to a farm in Pembrokeshire in 1980, and a bed and breakfast in York in 1984, and I alone go to Computer Park 1982 at Apethorpe Hall (now Palace), France with the school in 1984, and Switzerland with the school in 1985.

And Not In A Van is now available to buy in paperback:-